Goddess
by KaitlynRae99
Summary: On her world, she was a princess. But she left her world to help those on Midgard. She now goes by the false name of Erika Stark and serves the Strategic Scientific Reserve; keeping her true self hidden. Until she aided Steve Rogers in rescuing the 107th Regiment and revealed her true self. She is Erika Odinsdottir and she is the goddess of war, justice and battle strategies.
1. Prologue

**A YOUNG** woman stood on a balcony that overlooked a golden city with her dark hair flowing in the wind. As the young woman's dark eyes remained looking out, she didn't notice an older man standing in the doorway leading to the balcony until his footsteps altered her to him now standing beside her. "You can't change my mind, Father" the young woman didn't turn her head towards him as she spoke.

Erika's father sighed before speaking; "I wasn't going to, Erika."

Erika's dark eyes widened before her head whipped around to look at him. She was unable to form words as she stared at him in disbelief. They remained silent for a few moments until her father turned his head to look at her and spoke; "You have a destiny that only you can follow, and I can't stop you from doing that."

A large smile spread across her face as she threw her arms around him and he responded back by wrapping his own arms around her. They hugged tightly for a few moments until they pulled away and the man gripped her shoulder tightly. His eyes were filled with pride as he looked at the young woman. He removed his hands off her shoulders and placed a hand on her back. "Come with me," he spoke and began to guide Erika out of the room and through the halls.

They continued walking until they reached a hall filled with many racks of different weapons and suits of armour. Erika's brow raised in confusion as her father continued guiding her to the back of the room where a large black velvet curtain was hiding something. Her father's hand moved off her back and reached up to pull the curtain down and reveal what it was hiding. Erika's jaw dropped to the floor when her eyes met a suit of armour. The armour was a dark red armour body plate that bore a gold Eagle-shaped breastplate, and a matching golden W-shaped belt plate. Below this body plate was a very dark-blue skirt and knee-high dark red armoured wedged combat boots with silvery arm enclosing vambraces. A brown leather strap laid across the chest of the armour which had a shield and sword being strapped to the back.

Erika looked towards her father who was smiling brightly at her before explaining; "You'll need armour for where you are going."

She threw her arms around him as her heart filled with love. He was giving her freedom.

* * *

Erika was now dressed in her new armour with a black furred cloak laid over it and was walking beside her father towards a golden observatory. When they entered the observatory, Erika's eyes widened in shock when her eyes saw an older blonde woman standing beside a dark-skinned man with her arms crossed. The woman's eyes glared towards Erika's father and when she spoke, her words dripping in anger; "You are letting her go?!"

"I'm going, Mother," Erika stood strong against her mother and watched as her glare faded as she looked towards Erika.

She walked over to her daughter and cup her cheeks between her hands, thumbs lightly stroking Erika's cheeks. The mother and daughter remained in this position until the mother let out a loud sigh and removed her hands from Erika's cheeks. A gold mist form around Erika's mother hands until a gold headpiece was now held in her hands. She swept the loose curl away from Erika's forehead before placing the headpiece on her forehead. Once Erika now wore the headpiece, the mother and daughter pulled each other a hug. Tears form in Erika's eyes as she hugged her mother tightly. She felt like this would be the last time she would hug her mother. They pulled away from each other and a kiss was placed on the top of Erika's head. Erika's mother stepped away and allowed her Father to take her place. Erika could feel her heart began to race as she felt his hand being placed on her shoulders. "Be careful in that world, Erika. They do not deserve you," he said to her before placing a light kiss on her forehead and removing his hands from her shoulders.

He stepped away from her and turned towards the dark-skinned male before going him a nod. The man nodded back before activating a bridge of dimensional energy. Erika looked towards the bridge before turning towards her parents, giving them a tearful smile. "Give my brothers my love," she said to them before turning back towards the bridge.

She took a deep breath before stepping into the bridge and watched as her home faded away. When she stepped out of the bridge, she arrived in a concrete building that was abandoned. She was now on Midgard and it was different from what she was expecting but good thing she can adapt to things quickly.

* * *

Erika walked through the streets of Los Angeles, now wearing appropriate clothing that she created by using her magic. She noticed a man being dragged into an alley by two other men and she quickly made the decision to follow the men and from what she could hear, the two men had different accents compared to the man they had been dragging.

She watched on as one of the men pull out a pistol and before he could fire the gun, she turned into a blur and grabbed onto the man's arms, knocking his pistol into her own hand. Gripping him tightly with her free hand, she pushed him back which made him knock into the brick wall behind him; knocking him unconscious. His partner stared at Erika in disbelief before pointing his own pistol towards her and fired. She quickly reacted by holding up her arm to block the bullet with one of her vambraces. The bullet shattered when it contacted with the metal vambrace and cause the metal to glow red before fading back to silver.

When the man realised his gun with useless against the young woman, he rushed towards her, only to be thrown back and like his partner, his head hit the wall hard and was knocked unconscious. Now that the short fight was over, the man Erika had just saved spoke with his tone being both curious and flirty; "Who are you?"

She turned around to look at him and raised an eyebrow in confusion as to why those men tried to kill him as he looked like a corky businessman. He had a flirtatious smile on his face as he looked her up and down which caused her dark eyes to roll. "I'm Erika, daughter of Odin and Frigga," she answered him which caused him stared at her in disbelief.

That disbelief quickly faded as the curiosity reappeared as he held a hand out for her to shake and introduced himself; "I'm Howard Stark."

Erika shook his hand and that was the start of how she went from being Erika Odinsdottir to Erika Stark. After she saved Howard from the HYDRA assassins, he insisted that she join the Strategic Scientific Reserve with him to which she agreed. This was how she met Dr Abraham Erskine and how she helped him find recruits for Project Rebirth. This led her in meeting Steve Rogers, the soon-to-be-great American hero and her future fellow teammate. And him, James 'Bucky' Barnes.


	2. Finding Recruits

**ERIKA** was walking towards the recruitment office in New York City where Dr Erskine was waiting for her when she noticed two men standing outside the office and were engaged in a heated conversation. One of the men was wearing a military uniform and the other man that stood in front of the soldier was small and lanky. Erika's arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the wall just by the entrance to the recruitment office.

"You're really gonna do this again?" The soldier asked the shorter man who shrugged his shoulders and answered; "Well, it's a fair. I'm gonna try my luck."

She continued listening in on their conversation as they both took her interest. "As who? Steve from Ohio? They'll catch you. Or worse, they'll actually take you," the soldier remarked in an irritated tone.

His comment led Erika to believe that the shorter man, Steve she believed was his name, had been trying to enlist but been declined multiple as someone from different cities. _Hmm, interesting, _she thought to herself.

"Look, I know you don't think I can do this," Steve admitted to his friend who snapped back; "This isn't a back alley, Steve. It's war!"

She could tell the soldier cared about his friend's safety from his attempts to stop his friend from enlisting. "I know it's a war. You don't have to tell me," Steve was getting irritated from his friend lack of faith in him.

"Why are you so keen to fight? There are so many important jobs," the soldier stated which Erika could tell didn't sit well with Steve.

"What am I gonna do? Collect scrap metal..." Steve spoke and the soldier injects his opinion by saying; Yes!" before Steve continued speaking in a sarcastic tone; "in my little red wagon."

"Why not?" the soldier snapped which Steve responded back; "I'm not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky."

The pair continued arguing with each other when Erika looked up to see an older man with glasses was also listening in on the two men's conversation. Erika and the man made eye contact with each other, giving a smile before turning back to the two men. The man was Dr Erskine and just like Erika, he was interested in Steve.

"I don't..." Bucky, the name of the soldier, was interrupted by Steve; "Bucky, come on! There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand. This isn't about me."

A smile formed on the young woman's face as she looked to Erskine and nodded. Steve was the one Erskine was looking for.

"Right. Cause you got nothing to prove," Bucky remarked towards his friend.

There was silence between them for a few moments before a female voice called out; "Hey, Sarge! Are we going dancing?"

Bucky turned towards the voice and called out; "Yes, we are," before turning back to Steve. "Don't do anything stupid until I get back," he commented to Steve as he began walking away but stopped when Steve shot back; "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you."

Erika lightly chuckled under her breath at Steve's comment as Bucky walked back over to him and pulled him into a hug after retorting; "You're a punk."

"Jerk. Be careful," Steve responded back as they separated from their hug.

As Bucky walked away, Steve shouted out to him; "Don't win the war till I get there!"

His words made Bucky stop and give his friend as salute before continuing walking away. When Bucky walked past Erika, their eyes made contact for a few moments before he winked at her. Her dark eyes rolled at him, but she was smiling. Erika could admit that he was handsome with piercing blue eyes and his dark hair hidden beneath a khaki green peaked cap. She has seen a lot of men in uniform but there was something about how the uniform fit him that draw Erika's attention.

Erika shook her head and leaned off the wall. She walked over to Erskine and said; "He's the one."

He agreed with a smile and nod before guiding her towards the examination room where he looked into a file cabinet and handed her a file. As she found a white lab coat and placed it over her navy-blue dress, she opened the file which was labelled 'Rogers, Steven'. Her eyes widened as she was surprised at how he was still alive because of all his health ailments.

Her gaze moved from the file to look over the file where Steve was seated. Despite his size, he was handsome with his blue eyes and dark blonde hair that was pushed away from his face but fell over his eyes when he looked down. She noticed Erskine was looking the cabinet that had copies of those who enlist who were dimed unfit as the good doctor has requested them for future reference and consultation. "Rogers, Steven," her voice called out through the silent room and Steve immediately shot up.

Erika gestured for him to follow me and she brought him to the examination. "Sit down. A doctor will be in to look over you in a moment," she informed him as she offered him a smile.

"Thank you, ma'am," he responded as he mirrored her smile and sat down.

As she walked away, he could feel him staring at her which she was use to after three years of living on Midgard.

When Erika asked Howard when every male stared at her, he responded by saying that her 'extreme' beauty is the reason why they stared. Or her height as she was almost as tall as most males which was unusual for a female in Midgard.

She met up with Erskine who was standing beside an Enlistment Office MP. After giving the nurse an order to tell the doctor looking over Steve to leave, Erskine gave a nod to the MP who ripped the sheets opened and stepped into the room. When Erskine and Erika followed shortly after, she noticed Steve looking at the MP in worrying which changed to confusion when he saw them. "Thank you," Erskine excused the MP who quickly exited the room.

"So, you want to go overseas. Kill some Nazis," Erskine said to Steve as Erika closed the sheets to give them some form of privacy.

"Excuse me?" Steve asked as he was shocked by Erskine's forward question.

"Dr Abraham Erskine. I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve. This is my assistant Erika Stark," Erskine walked over to Steve who was now standing and held out his hand.

"Steve Rogers," Steve shook Erskine's hand and nodded towards Erika.

Erskine walked away from Steve and began looking through his file. "Where are you from?" Steve asked as he noticed Erskine's German accent.

"Queens. 73rd Street and Utopia Parkway. Before that, Germany. This troubles you? Erskine asked in curiosity which Steve responded with a shook of his head.

"Where are you from, Mr Rogers? Mmm? Is it New Haven? Or Paramus? Five exams in five different..." Erskine was interrupted by Steve trying to save his skin; "That might not be the right file."

"No, it's not the exams we're interested in. It's the five tries," Erika informed him which caused him to relax slightly and give her a look of confusion.

"But you didn't answer my question. Do you want to kill Nazis?" Erskine asked and they waited in silence for Steve's answer.

"Is this a test?" Steve asked which made me place three fingers over my lips to stop myself from chuckling.

"Yes," Erskine answered as he was slightly stumped by Steve's question.

"I don't wanna kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from," his words formed a hold around Erika's heart.

She shared a knowing look with Erskine as Steve's word further confirmed their choices of him being the one for the experiment.

"Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is the little guy, huh? I can offer you a chance," Erskine started as they exited the room.

"Only a chance," Erika told him as she saw his hopeful eyes.

"I'll take it," Steve rushed as they stopped by the table holding the stamps for approved or declined.

"Good. So where is the little guy from, actually?" the doctor asked as he held the approval stamp in his hand.

"Brooklyn," Steve answered with a small smile.

Erskine stamped Steve's form and handed him the file before speaking; "Congratulations, soldier."

Erskine and Erika walked away from Steve and as they walked away, Erika knew they made the right decision.

* * *

"So...did the doctor find anyone he saw fit?" Howard asked Erika when she met up with him after the expo was finished.

Howard was seated the bench by the stage with a lit cigarette between his lips. "I believe he has made his decision. But the Colonel won't agree," she informed him as she sat down beside him.

"How so?" Howard asked, taking a puff of his cigarette and blowing out the smoke.

"You could pummel the guy in 10 seconds," she remarked to him which caused him to glare at her.

His hand reached out to smack her shoulder but however, she didn't feel it but obviously he did because he was shaking his hand in pain which made her chuckle. "That's not funny," Howard remarked, and she just shrugged her shoulders.

"If you didn't learn from the first time you hit me, that's your problem," Erika stated to him with a cheeky smirk on her face.

He continued glaring at her until he shook his head and put out his cigarette. "Do you think he is the right choice?" Howard asked Erika; going back onto their previous topic.

"Yeah. He'll be the hero this world needs," she answered with a sad smile on her face.

She couldn't be a hero without exposing to the world that they weren't alone in the universe. She wondered if Father would be disappointed in her choices, but she would never know. She didn't know how to go home without feeling like a failure. This war has been going on for three whole years...and she haven't even been involved in it. Some Goddess of War she was.


	3. Training the Recruits

**WHEN** Erika walked onto Camp Lehigh in New Jersey, she noticed the odd looks she was receiving from the soldiers. Probably due to her being a woman in a uniform. When Erika had joined the SSR, she was given the title of Agent and assigned to Project Rebirth to supervise operations along with Agent Peggy Carter. As she walked towards where Peggy was waiting for her, Erika looked down the line of recruits and noticed the smallest recruit, Steve. To others, he was nothing but a little guy but to her, she knew about never judging a book by its cover as many made the same mistake with her...before she knocked them on their asses. "Recruits, attention!" Erika ordered once Peggy and she made their way over to the recruits.

The recruits all stopped their talking and stood up straight. "Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter and this is Agent Stark. We supervise all operations for this division," Peggy informed them as they walked down the line and the private following behind them handed the recruits clipboards and pens.

"What's with the accent, Queen Victoria? Thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army," one of the recruits remarked which made Erika's eyes roll.

"What's your name, soldier?" Peggy asked, now stood in front of him.

"Gilmore Hodge, your Majesty," he remarked back which made Erika roll her eyes again.

"Step forward, Hodge," Peggy ordered, and Hodge followed her order as he looked back at the recruit beside him with a cocky expression.

"Put your right foot forward," she ordered again as he now stood directly in front of her, and he followed as he put his right foot forward with a smug grin on his face.

"Mmm... We gonna wrestle? Cause I got a few moves I know you'll like," Hodge informed her with a wink which caused her fist to fly at his face.

As he fell to the ground from the force of Peggy's punch, Erika placed a hand on her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. "Agent Stark. Agent Carter," a man's voice called out from behind the two women which caused them to turn around to face an older man in uniform who just hopped out of the car.

"Colonel Phillips," the two women saluted to man as he walked over to them.

"I see you're breaking in the candidates. That's good!" Phillips congratulated Peggy before turning to the recruit who was still on the ground.

"Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention till somebody comes tells you what to do," the Colonel's order caused Hodge to quickly jump back onto his feet.

"Yes, sir," Hodge responded back, not even wiping the blood off his face.

"General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons, but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best men..." As Phillips walked down the line of recruits, he stopped in front of Steve and trailed off.

He looked towards Erskine in a 'really?' fashion making Erika bite her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling.

"And because they're gonna get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history. But every army starts with one man. At the end of this week, we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldiers. And they will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell," Phillips concluded before turning to the two women and signalled them to take over before walking away.

"Alright, ladies. We'll start with basic training. Jumping Jacks. Begin!" Erika called out which made the recruits stalled for a second before removing their coats and helmets to begin their movements.

Erika watched them with her arms crossed over her chest as she stood next to Peggy. "How's the hand?" she asked the British agent with a smile.

"Worth it," was all Peggy said before light giggles escaped their lips.

* * *

Erika and Peggy were sat inside a military jeep with Peggy in the passenger's seat while Erika was sat in the back. Pick up the pace, ladies! Let's go! Double time! Come on! Faster! Faster! Move! Move! Squad, halt!" The voice of the Sergeant echoed through the air which caused the two women to turned around to see the recruits.

Erika noticed that Steve was behind everyone else and she frowned. Not because she felt bad for him because she knew he would be the one they chose for the Project but because the others were assholes towards him being smaller than them.

"That flag means we're only at the halfway point. First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter and Agent Stark. Move, move!" as soon as the Sergeant spoke, the recruits began to try and climb the pole.

Erika rolled her eyes as she twirled the pen she had between her fingers. "If that's all you got, this army's in trouble! Get up there, Hodge! Come on! Get up there! Nobody's got that flag in 17 years!" The Sergeant's voice continued to echo even over the grunts of the recruits.

"Now fall back into line! Come on, fall in! Let's go! Get back into formation!" the Sergeant ordered after watching the recruits struggle for a few moments.

While the other recruits fell back in line, Erika noticed Steve walk over the pole. "Rogers! I said fall in!" The Sergeant ordered as Steve pulled a pin out from the bottom of the pole, causing it to fall over.

A large smile formed on Erika's face as she watched Steve grab the flag and hand it to the Sergeant before giving a polite; "Thank you, sir."

He climbed into the car, giving Erika and Peggy a small smile before they drove off. "Smart move you did back there," Erika stated to the man beside her whose cheeks grew red.

"There's always another way around a tough situation," what he said gave Erika more confident that he was the one for Project Rebirth.

* * *

"Faster, ladies! Come on. My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it!" Peggy called out of the recruits as they were doing push-ups.

Erika was walking beside Colonel Phillips and Erskine and could see Steve admitting to lift himself, only to fall to the ground. "You're not really thinking about picking Rogers, are you?" Phillips asked the Doctor as he watched the said recruit.

"I am more than just thinking about it. He is the clear choice," Erskine informed the Colonel which made the Colonel go on a rant; "When you brought a ninety pounds asthmatic onto my army base, I let it slide. I thought, what the hell? Maybe he'll be useful to you, like a gerbil. I never thought you'd pick him."

As they stood near the recruits, Peggy commanded to the recruits to stand up and begin to do jumping jacks. "You stick a needle in that kid's arm and it's gonna go right through him," The Colonel continued to rant as they watched Steve struggling.

"Look at that. He's making me cry," Phillips remarked which made Erika roll her eyes. _Typical male_, she thought to herself.

"I am looking for qualities beyond the physical," The doctor informed the Colonel which didn't stop the Colonel from continuing as he asked the doctor; "Do you know how long it took to set up this project?"

"Yeah, I know," Erskine injected but it wasn't heard as Phillips kept talking; "All the grovelling I had to do in front of Senator What's-His-Name's committees?"

"Brandt. Yes, I know. I am well aware of your efforts," Erskine explained as Erika watched on, leaning against the truck which was filled with supplies.

"Then throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast, he obeys orders. He's a soldier," Phillips pointed to the said recruit which made a loud scoff fall from Erika's lips.

"He's a bully and a coward," Erika remarked which made Phillips gave her a harsh glare.

"You don't win wars with niceness, Agent," the Colonel remarked before he walked over to the truck and took out a dummy hand grenade. "You win war with guts," with that said, he pulled the pin off the grenade and threw it towards where the recruits were training before yelling; "Grenade!"

The recruits scrambled to hide but what shocked everyone was Steve throwing himself over the grenade to shield the others. "Get away! Get back!" Steve cried as Erika watched on with a large grin on her face.

They waited for the grenade to go off but being a dummy grenade, nothing happened. Steve slowly uncurled himself away from the grenade and remained on the ground; looking towards Colonel Phillips, Erskine and Erika as an officer called out; "It was a dummy grenade. All clear. Back in formation."

"Is this is a test?" Steve asked as Erika gave him a wink.

Erskine looked towards Phillips and shrugged his shoulders as to confirm his point about choosing Steve. "He's still skinny," was all the Colonel could say before walking away.

The good doctor had informed Erika that night that Steve Rogers was chosen, and she agreed with his choice. The next day, they were to travel to Brooklyn to complete the procedure and it was the day where Steve Rogers would become the now world-known Captain America.


	4. Losing A Friend

**ERIKA** was sat in the passenger seat while Peggy and Steve sat in the backseat as the car drove through Brooklyn. Erika was flipping through the files that were laying her lap as she heard Steve began to talk; "I know this neighbourhood. I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. And behind that diner."

"Did you have something against running away?" Peggy asked as a smile formed on Erika's face.

"You start running they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. Can't say no forever, right?" his words caused the smile on Erika's face to grow larger as she looked at him through the rear-view mirror.

"I know a little of what that's like. To have every door shut in your face," Peggy said as she met Erika's eyes through the mirror.

"I guess I just don't why you'd wanna join the army if you're a beautiful dame. Or a beautiful...a woman. An agent, not a dame! You are beautiful, but..." Erika cut off Steve's nervous shutter; "You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?"

He looked up and met her eyes through the rear-view mirror before he quickly looked down again, growing more anxious under her stare. "This is the longest conversation I've had with one. Let alone two. Women aren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on," he informed the two women, feeling their stares on him.

"You must have danced?" Peggy asked with her voice soft.

"Well, asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying. And the past few years just didn't seem to matter that much. Figured I'd wait," Steve explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

"For what?" Erika asked which her question made Steve sigh before answering; "The right partner."

His words ended their conversation, turning the car silent. Erika looked out the window; thinking about Steve's words. Having been raised as a Princess, Erika never experienced love. Her parents were protective over her as she was their only daughter and also their eldest. They wanted her to be Queen, but she denied their request. She believed she was not fit to be Queen. She wanted to help the realms and she could not do that remaining in her world. The young Princess had always admired Midgard and when this war broke out, she was given permission by her father to help them.

Erika was broken out of her trance when the car came to a stop outside an antique shop. She opened the door and stepped out of the car which Steve and Peggy followed. "This way," Erika told them as she walked towards the door of the shop.

"What are we doing here?" Steve asked in confusion as he placed a hat over his hair.

"Follow me," Erika ignored his question as she opened the door and stepped inside the shop.

At the sound of the bell ringing when the door opened, an older woman stepped out from the back and said; "Wonderful weather this morning isn't it?"

"Yes, but I always carry an umbrella," Erika said the code phase causing the woman to nod before walking over to the counter and pressing the button hidden underneath it.

The others followed Erika to the back where the bookcase opened to reveal that it was a door and hidden behind was a long hallway. Erika began to walk down and once she reached the door at the end, they were opened to reveal a large circular room filled with machinery and a pod in the middle. Erskine and his team turned to the balcony where Erika, Peggy and Steve stood, looking down at them. Ignoring the stares, Erika began walking down the stairs and meet up with Erskine. "Good morning," the good doctor said to Steve before shaking his hand.

A flash from a camera went off, almost blinding everyone next to it.

"Please, not now," Erskine told the photographer who walked away.

"Are you ready?" Erskine asked Steve who was looking down at the pod.

Steve answered with a nod making Erskine say; "Good. Take off your shirt, your tie and your hat."

Steve looked behind him at Peggy and Erika which the taller woman looked away as she didn't want Steve to feel uncomfortable. He began to remove what Erskine told him to remove and handed them to the female scientist standing next to him.

Once his chest was bare, Steve climbed into the pod and laid down as Erskine stood over him. "Comfortable?" the doctor asked making Steve answer with a smile; "It's a little big."

His answered caused a small chuckle to escape from Erskine. "You save me any of that schnapps?" Steve asked, remembering their conversation from last night.

"Not as much as I should have. Sorry. Next time," Erskine answered, apologetic about drinking almost the entire bottle.

"Mr Stark, how are your levels?" the good doctor asked as Howard Stark walked towards him.

"Levels at 100%," Howard answered, quickly placing a kiss on Erika's cheek as he walked past her.

"Good," Erskine said, pleased with Howard's reply.

"We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready...as we'll ever be," Howard's confidence faded slightly at the end of his sentence caused Erika to place a hand on his shoulder and give him a smile.

Howard tapped her hand lightly and he smiled back before walking away from her. "Agent Carter? Agent Stark? Don't you think you two would be more comfortable in the booth?" Erskine suggested to the two women.

Erika gave him a nod and a smile while Peggy spoke; "Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry."

As the two walked away, Peggy stopped and looked back at Steve for a moment before she turned back and began walking towards the booth with Erika by her side. Erika lightly knocked her arm against Peggy's who stared at her in confusion. The taller woman just smirked as they entered the booth where many others had gathered to watch the project unfold.

Erskine grabbed a microphone and flicked it a few times, causing feedback to echo through the booth and everyone to turn their attention to him. "Do you hear me? Is this on?" the good doctor's voice rang through the booth.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace. We begin with a series of microinjections into the subject's major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays," Erskine explained as his team began to prepare the serum infusion.

Erika watched as a nurse inject Steve with preliminary injection as Erskine walked over to him. "That wasn't so bad," Steve remarked-which Erika could hear due to her enhanced hearing- as the nurse removed the needle from his arm.

"That was penicillin," the good doctor remarked making Steve look over at him with what Erika could only guess was fright.

"Serum infusion beginning in five, four, three, two, one," Erskine counted down as he placed a hand on Steve's shoulder.

After he counted to one, the blue coloured serum was injected into Steve causing him to groan slightly in pain.

"Now, Mr Stark," Erskine ordered Howard who lowered a lever which caused the pod to move into an upright position and enclosed Steve inside.

As the other scientists began to prepare the pod, Erskine knocked on the pod and asked; "Steven? Can you hear me?"

"It's probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" Steve's rang called out from the pod although it was muffled slightly.

The good doctor turned back to Howard and said;"We will proceed."

Howard switched a dial before moving over to a wheel which controlled the amount of power being used. "That's ten percent. Twenty percent. Thirty. That's forty percent," Howard called out as the pod began to glow brightly from the Vita-Rays.

"Vital signs are normal," a doctor called out from where he was monitoring Steve's vitals.

"That's fifty percent. Sixty. Seventy," once Howard had called out seventy, a scream began coming from the pod.

Peggy jumped from her spot beside Erika as Erskine moved over to the pod and cried out; "Steven!"

"Shut it down," Peggy commanded as she no longer was sitting inside the booth.

Erika clutched her hands as she also jumped up from her seat and was now standing beside Peggy. "Steven!" Erskine continued to cry out as he banged his fist against the pod.

"Shut it down!" Erika now commanded, her voice carrying power over everyone in the room.

"Kill the reactor, Mr Stark! Turn it off! Kill it! Kill the reactor!" Erskine cried out to Howard but as Howard went to shut everything down, Steve's voice called out from the pod; "No! Don't! I can do this!"

Erika felt Peggy began to grip tightly onto her arm as Howard began to call out as the Vita-Rays got brighter and brighter; "Eighty. Ninety. That's a hundred percent.

The machines began to overload as sparks flew from them before everything turned off completely. "Mr Stark?" Erskine called out before the pod opened, revealing Steve.

Except now Steve was taller and muscularly as the once larger pod now looked almost too small for him. Erika let out a laugh in amazement as she felt Peggy freeze beside her.

"Steven. Steven," Erskine spoke as walked towards Steve and with Howard's help, they helped the newly transformed Steve out of the pod.

"I did it," Steve said he was out of the pod, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, yeah. I think we did it," Erskine spoke feeling proud of both himself and Steve.

"You actually did it," Howard said in amazement as Peggy and Erika rushed towards them.

"How do you feel?" Peggy asked with her eyes looking over at Steve's new body.

"Taller," Steve replied back as he now stood over everyone in the room.

Erika almost let out a laugh when Peggy reached out to touch Steve's chest but stopped herself. "You look taller," Erika remarked as she now looked up at Steve.

She handed him a shirt which he quickly put on as everyone began to congratulate the doctor.

Suddenly a loud explosion from the booth racked through the lab causing glass to fly everywhere. Screams of surprise and terror filled the room as everyone ducked down to avoid being hit. "Stop him!" Erskine cried out as he saw a man with a gun grab the last vial of serum. The man heard Erskine's cry and pointed the gun at him before pulling the trigger twice, shooting the good doctor in the chest. Erika cried out as she rushed towards Erskine with Steve by her side. They knelt down by the doctor who looked up at them. Erskine, in his final moment, raised his hand and pointed at Steve's heart. Erika felt tears stream down her face as she watched Erskine's eyes closed and life leave his body. She turned to Steve who was looking up at where the shooter had gone with a glare. "Go," her voice that was filled with sadness but also power caused him to turn to her before nodding and taking off.

Erika began to cry as she looked down at her friend. Erskine was the only one beside Howard who knew who she really was and now he was gone.

* * *

They were in a safe SSR compound where Steve was having his blood drawn in hopes of recreating the serum. "Think you got enough?" Steve remarked after they finally finished drawing up his blood.

"Any hope of reproducing a program is locked in your genetic code. But without Dr Erskine it would take years," Erika informed him from where she was leaning against the desk with her arms holding files against her chest.

"He deserved more than this," Steve told her as he stood beside her.

"If it could only work once, he'd be proud it was you," she told him making him look down at her.

She gave him a small smile as they both mourned for Erskine. "Colonel Phillips, my committee is demanding answers," Senator Brandt's voice echoed through the SSR tech lab that was below the room where Steve and Erika were.

"Great. Why don't we start with how a German spy got a ride to my secret installation in your car?" the Colonel remarked back before turning to Howard who was working on the HYDRA submarine and asked; "What have we got here?"

"Speaking modestly, I'm the best mechanical engineer in this country. But I don't know what's inside this thing or how it works. We're not even close to this technology," Howard answered truthfully as Erika and Steve both walked into the lab.

"Then who is?" Brandt asked in annoyance causing Erika to roll her eyes.

"Hydra. I'm sure you've been reading our briefings," Phillips remarked even though he knew that the Senator hadn't read any of the briefings.

"I'm on a number of committees, Colonel," Brandt remarked back before Peggy explained; "Hydra is the Nazi deep science division. It's led by Johann Schmidt. But he has much bigger ambitions."

"Hydra's practically a cult. They worship Schmidt, they think he's invincible," Phillips stated which made Erika scoff under her breath.

"So, what are you gonna do about it?" Brandt asked with a snarl.

"Spoke to the president this morning. As of today, the SSR is being retasked," the Colonel announced causing those around in grow confused.

"Colonel?" Erika asked in confusion as the Colonel walked towards her and Steve.

"We are taking the fight to Hydra. Pack your bags, Agent Carter. You too, Stark. You're flying to London tonight," Phillips informed them as he walked past them.

"Sir, if you're going after Schmidt, I want in," Steve's voice caused the Colonel to stop and look at him.

"You're an experiment. You're going to Alamogordo," Phillips informed Steve who wasn't happy with his answer.

"The serum worked," Steve remarked back, looking towards Erika and Peggy for help.

"I asked for an army and all I got was you. You...are not enough," Phillips said before turning towards Erika.

"You, Agent Stark will be heading to the Italian Front. They are in need of your skills," was all the Colonel said before walking out of the lab.

Erika let out a sigh before turning towards Steve and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck," she said to him with a smile before following Phillips out of the lab.

That night Erika was on a plane heading towards the Italian Front where she knew the 107th Regiment where they were fighting HYDRA.


	5. The Italian Front

**THE** first thing that happened to Erika when she walked onto the camp where the Italian Front was stationed was the sound of wolf whistles. She had reframed herself from rolling her eyes as she knew that the only women the men had seen were the nurses so for a new woman to show up, they turned into hungry wolves. She wore her usual uniform, but her blazer was replaced with a black leather jacket and her skirt was replaced with slacks that were tucked into black combat boots and her dog tags were tucked under her blouse. She wore no makeup...not like she wore it in the first place and her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. As she walked through the camp, she had to stop herself to gasping that the wounded men being carried past her to the field hospital on stretchers. Erika had seen battle but not like this. "Agent Stark," a voice called out as she entered a large tent.

"General Truscott," she saluted the man before shaking his hand that he held towards her.

He gestured to the chair in front of his desk which in reality was just a fold up table. She sat down in the chair and crossed her legs, resting her hands on her knee. "I believe you have been informed as to why I am here," Erika said to the General who nodded.

Truscott reached to the table that was behind him and picked up the file that was laying on it. The file made a loud slap on he threw it onto his 'desk' before he flipped it open. "You are here because of HYDRA," he said to her which made her raise an eyebrow at the tone in his voice.

It was almost as if he thought she was stupid or not worthy of being in the same room as him. If only he knew that he sat across from the Goddess of War and not some dumb woman. A large smirk formed on her face as she spoke; "I am here because intelligence had informed the SSR that after an air raid on the 107th, a part of a shell that survived the blast was painted with a red symbol of a skull with tentacles. This has led us to believe that HYDRA has a facility here. I am here to found that facility."

The older General glared at the woman whose smirk only grew larger. "I want to speak to the men who discovered the shell," she demanded as she stood up from her chair with her hands folded together behind her back.

Her demand caused him to also stand up from his chair and walked her out of his tent. He led to another tent but this one was a lot smaller with a group of men were playing poker. They continued playing their game before Truscott growled; "Barnes! Dugan!"

Two men dropped their cards face down on the table and stood to attention. Erika's eyes widened slightly when she recognised one of the men as Bucky, the man she saw outside the recruitment office with Steve. When his eyes landed on her, his brows frowned as if he was trying to place her.

The General, however, didn't say anything else as he left the tent causing Erika to let out a loud scoff. "Asshole," she snarled under her breath as her eyes remained on the opening of the tent.

Even though she thought she didn't say it loud enough to anyone else to hear, she was proven incorrect as she heard all of the men in the tent with her began to laugh. Erika turned her head to them and raised an eyebrow at them with her arms crossed as she waited for them to stop laughing. Once they have finished laughing, the man that standing whom Erika didn't recognise held out his hand towards her. "Sergeant Timothy Dugan, ma'am. Everyone calls me Dum Dum," he introduced himself to her as she shook his hand.

"Agent Erika Stark. I'm with the Strategic Scientific Reserve," she introduced herself to Dum Dum who gave her a charming smile.

He, however, didn't let her hand go as his hand moved to grip her fingers before he placed a light kiss on the back of her hand. Dum Dum's action caused Erika to laugh as the last time any man had done that was back on her home world. "Come on, Dum Dum. Don't hog the pretty lady," Bucky remarked, his eyes remaining on Erika.

He had realised why Erika looked familiar to him. She was the woman that was standing outside the recruitment office in New York that was watching he and Steve argue. He had only briefly noticed her beauty than when he winked at her but now, he could really see how beautiful she was. From where she was standing in front of Dum Dum, Bucky could see that she was only a couple inches shorter than him.

Her dark eyes turned to him as she removed her hand from Dum Dum's, and she gave him a small smile. He held out his hand towards her and introduced himself to her; "I'm Sergeant James Barnes. But call me Bucky."

"Nice to meet you. Mind if I sit?" she pointed to the empty seat beside his.

All the men quickly nodded at her question which made her sit down with Bucky and Dum Dum following her action. "Do you play poker?" Dum Dum asked her as he grabbed the deck and began shuffling it.

"I do. Just not very well," she informed making the men around her chuckle.

As he began to deal out the cards, the men around her began to introduce themselves. "Private Gabe Jones," the dark-skinned man that sat next to Dum Dum introduced himself before the blonde-haired man beside Gabe also introduced himself; "Corporal John Nixon."

"It's nice to meet you all," Erika said to them with a smile as she grabbed the cards Dum Dum had dealt to her.

There were a few moments of silence until Erika spoke; "Who saw that shell that the survived the air raid?"

The men around her looked at each other and she could tell that they were afraid of saying who had discovered the shell. She reached into the inside pocket of her jacket and pulled out a folded photo which she unfolded and placed on the small table in front of them. "I just want to know if that symbol was on it?" she asked them, pointing to the black and white photo of a skull with tentacles.

"Yes, it was," Bucky answered her causing her eyes to make contact with his.

They remained staring at each other for a few moments before Erika broke it by moving her eyes to look down at the cards in her hand. "I have been tasked to found where that shell come from. Find where it comes from...one step closer to ending this war," she informed them as she moved her cards around in her hand.

Mentioning ending the war caused the men to perk up beside her. "How can we help?" Bucky asked as his eyes never moved from the woman next to him.

A smile formed on her face as she placed her cards down the table, revealing an ace, a king, a queen, a joker and a ten of hearts. Her hand caused the men around her to gasp in shock as she managed to achieve a royal flush even after mentioning that she was bad at playing poker. "I need the 107th to help me found the facility where the shell came from...and kick some Nazi ass along the way," Erika informed them as she leaned against the back of her chair.

She already had the General's permission for the 107th to help but she wanted to hear it from those within the regiment as they were the ones who would be putting their lives on the line. The men made eye contact with each other and had a silent conversation with each other. "We're in," Bucky informed her which caused a smile to form on her face.

She now had the 107th help...now she just had to find the HYDRA facility.


	6. Captured

**BEFORE** Erika arrived on Midgard, she had never used a gun. She preferred her sword. But in order to blend into Midgard society, she had to ditch her sword and pick up a gun. Lucky for her, she was a good shot. While she had her enhanced speed and agility to avoid the bullets and explosions, the men around her weren't so fortunate. The young Asgardian had made her way to a trench and was now firing down those on the enemy's side. Whilst reloading, she felt two men throw themselves beside her. She quickly looked over her shoulders to see that Bucky and Dum Dum were now on either side of her with Gabe, who was carrying the radio, on Bucky's other side. "There's gotta be at least five more companies out there," Dum Dum cried out over the sound of gunfire.

"Radio B Company and tell them we need cover," Bucky ordered to Gabe who removed the radio off his shoulder.

"That might be tough," Gabe called out when he saw white smoke coming from the large hold now present within the radio.

Erika, now having reloaded, looked up and cried out to the men beside her; "Behind you!"

As they all began shooting again, a large explosion happened behind them, causing debris to fall over them. This debris forced Dum Dum's bowler hat off his head while Erika and Bucky looked over their shoulders to see more enemy soldiers coming towards them. "Here they come!" Bucky called out as the two moved to shot down the incoming soldiers.

"I hate these guys," Dum Dum snarled as he received his hat from the dirt and placed it back on his head.

Erika almost dropped her gun in shock when blue lights began attacking the enemy soldiers, turning them into ash. She, along with the men around her, ceased their fire as this blue light seemed to obliterate those in its path. Erika climbed to her feet making Bucky, Gabe and Dum Dum followed her actions. She blew a strand of hair that was in her eyes away from her face as she stared out in the field in shock. "That looks...new," Dum Dum's voice caused the princess to look up and see a large tank coming out from over the hill.

This tank, however, was never that anyone had ever seen before. The tank came to a stop before slowly pointing its canon towards them. "Down!" a voice cried out before Erika felt herself be pushed to the ground.

She could feel someone pressing their body against hers, trying to protect her against the blast. The blast caused debris to hit them, but Erika couldn't hear that anyone was hit with the blast. Erika looked up to see Bucky was the one laying on top of her and together, they slowly sat up to see soldiers now standing over them with their guns pointed towards them. Erika noticed a skull with tentacles were sewed into their uniforms leading her to believe that they were HYDRA. "Aufstehen! _(__Get up!)_" one of the soldiers demanded, not realizing that those on the dirt ground, beside Erika, could not understand him.

Erika slowly rose to her feet with her hands raised in the air, not wanting the HYDRA soldiers to shot. "Aufstehen!" the same soldiers demanded again which Erika translated; "He wants you to stand up."

Slowly, the men around her followed her actions and now they were all standing, looking at the young princess for guidance as they were outgunned and outnumbered. "Nehmen Sie sie als Gefangene _(Take them as prisoners)_," this order caused the other HYDRA soldiers to now stand behind their prisoners with their guns pointed to their backs.

With a hard shove to their backs, they began walking. Erika had achieved her goal for finding the HYDRA facility. The only downfall was she was their prisoner along with those remaining from the 107th.


	7. Cell Mates

**WHEN** they finally arrived at the HYDRA facility, Erika was forced away from the others and into a room where only one cell was present compared to the other room which had multiple cells into one room. She felt a cold, metal cuff be placed on her wrist before she was thrown into the cell. Erika heard the barred door close behind her which she quickly launched herself towards and gripped the bars tightly. She began to feel the bars blend under her strength, however, the cuff on her wrist began to send pulses through her body, causing her to cry out in pain and remove her hands from the bars to grip her wrist. She looked down at the cuff in shock as she had never felt that kind of pain before and she knew that this cuff wasn't just an ordinary electric shock cuff. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," a cold, German voice called out from the shadows.

Erika turned towards the voice and her eyes meet the face of Johann Schmidt, the head of HYDRA. "Johann Schmidt, I presume," Erika snarled as she crossed her arms around her chest.

Her words caused a sly smirk to form on Schmidt's face as he began walking closer to the bars. "Three years ago, two of my men returned to me and said they were unable to assassinate Howard Stark because of a woman. They said this woman displayed supreme strength and speed. At first, I didn't believe them and had them killed for their incompetence. But then I began to investigate and discovered you...Erika, daughter of Odin and Frigga," the cold man paced back and forth in front of Erika's cell before stopping in front of her on his final words.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, not afraid of the man in front of her.

A chuckle escaped his lips, and had she been anyone else, it would have sent shivers down her spine, but it didn't provoke of reaction from the young princess. "I want to create an army...an army with your abilities," Schmidt answered Erika which almost caused her to laugh out loud.

However, she let out a mocking chuckle before snarling; "You can try...but you won't succeed."

Schmidt didn't respond as he turned around and walked away from her cell, but not before signaling to the guards around her cell with a nod. The guards nodded back before stepping out of the room. They returned a few moments later, but this time, carrying a beaten and unconscious Bucky Barnes. Erika's eyes widened in shock as she watched the guards open the door to her cell and throw the unconscious man by her feet. "Bucky," she cried out as she knelt down beside Bucky and rolled him onto his back.

The room became silent as the guards left the room, leaving Erika and Bucky by themselves. But Erika knew that they were watching her as when she looked up at the corner of the room, there was a camera and if she tried to escape, they would activate her cuff.

Erika sat on the dirt-covered ground with her legs stretched out in front of her and moved Bucky, so his head was now laying in her lap. Erika was unsure how much time had passed until the door to her cell opened which made her look up to see a man with glasses and wearing a white lab coat. He held in his hand a large bowl which he placed beside Erika before closing the cell and leaving Erika alone again. She looked inside the bowl to see it was filled with water with a cloth floating in the water. Erika leaned towards the bowl and soaked the cloth before wringing out the water. She placed the cloth over Bucky's split and bloody brow which caused him to flinch and his eyes to slowly open.

"When I said that I would want to wake up with you staring at me, this wasn't how I wanted it to happen," Bucky remarked with a sly grin on his beaten face.

Erika let out a soft chuckle as she wiped the blood off his brow. They didn't speak as Erika continued clean Bucky's face and once she had finished, Bucky pushed himself off her lap and looked around the cell. "We have be given the special treatment," he remarked in relation to the fact that they were the only ones in the cell.

Erika shuffled back until her back touched the bars which she leaned against. Her eyes remained looking down at the cuff on her wrist which she knew if she tried to remove it, they would know and what send the pulses through her body again. Bucky followed her actions, slightly wincing from the pain coming from his side, and was also looking down at the cuff on her wrist. "What is that?" he asked as he grabbed her wrist to look at the cuff up close.

"I'm not sure. It's not electric. It might be designed like the tank we saw," she answered him, watching him run his finger along the cuff.

"Why?" was all he said which made Erika sigh and run her other hand through her now loose hair.

She could lie about the reason why she had the cuff on, but she knew sooner or later, the truth would be revealed.

"Because I'm not human. Erika Stark is not my real name," was all she said as she looked up at Bucky who had now released her wrist.

His brows frowned in confusion before he asked her; "What do you mean?"

"I'm the daughter of Odin and Frigga. Princess of Asgard. Goddess of War, Justice and Battle Strategies," Erika's voice held power and strength as she spoke her titles.

She reached behind her to grab one of the bars that were hidden from the camera before crushing it in her hand, showcasing her inhuman strength.

The two remained silent for a few moments until Bucky finally spoke; "So you could break out of here?"

She shook her head and held up her arm to show the cuff again before pointing to the camera. "This is stopping me," she informed him before dropping her arms back down into her lap.

Silence fell over them. Erika tucked her legs under her as she leaned to rest her head against Bucky's shoulder. His arm wrapped around her shoulder to pull her close to him as his head rested against hers. They both didn't know what was going to happen...but at least they had each other and all they can hope for is that they survive.


	8. Rescued

**WHILE** Erika was forced to remain in their cell, the soldiers had taken Bucky and forced him and the other captured soldiers to work on making weapons for HYDRA. They had no idea how long they have been prisoners for as the days and nights seemed to form together. Some days, Bucky would be returned back to their cell, viciously beaten by one of their captors. Erika tried to help with his wounds but there was nothing for her to use except for a thin blanket and a dirty cup of water to clean his wounds with.

Whilst Bucky and the other men looked like they had been through hell, all beaten, bruised, and malnourished, Erika however, didn't look any different from when she was first captured. This was due to her Asgardian physiology, but she knew she didn't have the strength to escape nor be able to help the others to escape...not without help from the outside. Whatever food and water were given to Erika and Bucky, which was not enough for even one person to have a proper meal, Bucky would try and give his share to Erika who always refused as she knew that she could survive on less food then he could.

The nights were extremely cold, but Erika was unaffected by the cold. But however, Bucky wasn't so lucky as he was unable to stop himself from shivering from the cold. This forced the two to share their body heat and the paper-thin blanket to prevent Bucky from dying of hypothermia. During the night, Bucky would ask Erika about Asgard, even though at first, he didn't believe that she came from another planet...or that she was over a thousand years old. She informed him about the life of an Asgardian Princess and her two younger brothers, Thor and Loki. Bucky also learned that Erika was taught sorcery from her mother but unlike her brother, Loki, she was only able to change her clothes and conjure her weapons out of thin air. In return, Erika would ask Bucky about his life before enlisting, curious about Midgard life. He told her about his family which consisted of himself, his mother and his three sisters. Bucky also told the Asgardian Princess of how he befriended Steve after defending Steve from bullies who were trying to steal the smaller boy's money.

Their time together, however, was cut short when a short man with glasses and wearing a lab coat opened their cell. Bucky and Erika forced themselves onto their feet as they knew that this man wasn't the one who took Bucky away to work on the weapons. The doctor, Erika guessed he was because of his lab coat, gave the two a sly smirk and ordered the guards beside him to take Bucky. As Erika formed her hand into a fist and went to strike one of the guards in the face, she was forced to her knees when the cuff on her wrist sent painful pulses through her body. "Leave him alone," she growled to the doctor whose smirk grew.

They ignored her growl as they grabbed Bucky's arms and forced him out of the cell. Bucky tried to pull his arms free but that earned him a hard hit to his stomach, causing him to groan in pain. The cell door was closed behind the guards which Erika launched herself towards to grip the bars tightly. "Bucky!" she cried out as the bars began to bend under her fingers.

A chuckle echoed through the room after her cry causing the young princess to look towards the doctor and her eyes formed into slits. "You will burn in Hel for what you have done," she snarled towards the doctor whose smirk only grew.

The doctor followed behind the guards, leaving Erika alone. She let out a loud yell as she threw her hands off the bars and began to run her fingers through her hair, trying to find a way to get out of her cell but every time she even went close to the bars, a pulse from the cuff was sent through her body, forcing her away from the bars. She was forced to remaining kneeling in the middle of the cell, feeling hopeless.

* * *

Erika didn't know how much time had passed until she heard an explosion. Her brows frowned in confusion until her eyes widened in realization when more explosives were heard. "I've got to get out of here," she said to herself as she jumped to her feet.

Looking down at the cuff on her wrist, she gripped it tightly and began to pull it away from her skin. Little gasps of pain escaped her lips as she felt some needles ripping out of her skin. But sure enough, the cuff fell off her wrist and fell to the stone ground with a light thump. Erika let out a sigh of relief as she looked down at her now bloody wrist which healed right before her eyes. Now with a rush of adrenaline through her body, Erika gripped the door to the cell and with a hard push, the door broke away from its hinges. She threw the door onto the floor and began making her way throughout the halls to find where Bucky has been taken.

Erika had turned around a corner when she knocked into a hard object. She jumped back and looked up to see Steve, dressed in a blue helmet with a white 'A' printed on it and was holding a shield with what looked like the American flag printed on it. "Agent Stark," Steve gasped in surprised when he looked down at the young woman.

She smiled at him before wrapped her arms around him, ecstatic to see a familiar face. "Thank god you're here, Steve," she informed him before pulling away, not before noticing Steve's flushed cheeks.

Erika felt like grinning at Steve's embarrassment of Erika hugging him, but they didn't have time. "We need to find Bucky," she told him which caused him to look at her with wide eyes.

"How do you know Bucky?" Steve asked as he began to lead the young princess to where the now recused soldiers had told him where Bucky would be.

"We have been cellmates since we were captured," she answered him as they walked down a corridor where the doctor from before had stepped out of a room and turned to stare at them.

The doctor began to run away from them which Steve went to chase while Erika raced towards the room he came from. Steve stopped when he noticed Erika make her way into the room to which he followed. When he entered the room, he saw Erika standing over a figure that was strapped to a table. The figure was reciting something, and Steve recognized the voice.

"Bucky?" Steve called out as he stood beside Erika who was removing Bucky's restraints with a slight tug. "Is that..." Bucky was interrupted by Steve saying; "It's me. It's Steve."

"Steve?" Bucky asked in disbelief as Steve and Erika helped him off the table.

"I thought you were dead," Steve said to his friend who was staring at him in disbelief.

"I thought you were smaller," Bucky remarked back as he continued staring at Steve's change of appearance.

Erika looked around the room and noticed a map of Europe that had some symbols pinned over it. Instantly, she knew that those symbols were the locations of other HYDRA facilities.

"Come on," Erika called out to the two men in which she had memorized the map.

Steve wrapped Bucky's arm around his shoulder and began helping his friend out of the room. "What happened to you?" Bucky asked to which Steve answered; "I joined the Army."

They began making their way through the corridor. "Did it hurt?" Bucky asked as he tried following Steve's and Erika's fast pace.

"A little," Steve replied with a small shrug.

"Is it permanent?" Bucky asked another question to which Erika and Steve responded; "So far."

They turned down a corridor where two HYDRA soldiers were down the other end, holding weapons that Erika knew didn't hold ordinary bullets. The soldiers cried to each other and fired their weapons towards the group. Steve held up his shield but however, the blast never hit them. He lowered his shield to see Erika standing in front of him. But she was now wearing a dark red armour body plate that bears a gold Eagle-shaped breastplate, and a matching golden W-shaped belt plate. Below this is a very dark-blue skirt and knee-high dark red armoured wedged combat boots. Her arms were crossed in front of her face and her wrist were two silvery bracelets that were now glowing. The HYDRA soldiers froze as they watched the young Asgardian pull her arms away from each other and crossed them again, clashing the bracelets together. This sent a huge spherical blast of orange energy that was powerful enough to knock the two soldiers to the floor.

She whipped her head around to the men behind her who were staring at her with wide eyes. They noticed she wore a gold tiara on her forehead. "Let's get a move on," Erika told the men which knocked them out of their trance.

They continued moving down the corridors and when they reached a metal railing that overlooked a large open space, explosions began to ring through the open space, destroying the equipment in it. Steve lead Bucky and Erika up the stairs to higher ground to avoid the explosions when they were stopped by a voice calling out; "Captain America! How exciting! I'm a great fan of your films."

With a catwalk between them, Schmidt and the doctor were the other side. Steve began walking towards Schmidt who continued speaking; "So Dr. Erskine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but still impressive."

Steve reacting by sending a hard punch to Schmidt's face. "You've got no idea," Steve spoke as Schmidt gripped his face where he was hit.

"Haven't I?" Schmidt asked rhetorically as Erika noticed a line of red underneath Schmidt's right eye. It was almost as if he was wearing a mask.

Schmidt went to punch Steve but was stopped by Steve raising his shield. The force of Schmidt's punch causing an indent in the metal shield. Steve reached for his gun which Schmidt used this distraction to hit Steve in the face, causing him to fall onto his back and his gun to fell out of his hand. Schmidt stood over Steve who grabbed the rails of the catwalk and pushed his legs out, hitting Schmidt in the chest which sent him flying to the other side of the catwalk. The doctor pulled a leaver and the catwalk began to retract, separating the two men.

"No matter what lies Erskine told you, you see I was his greatest success!" Schmidt cried out before he peeled off the skin on his face to reveal his skin had been burned off, leaving it red and tight around his skull. "You don't have one of those, do you?" Bucky asked Steve in his eyes remaining staring at Schmidt's true face.

"You are deluded, Captain. You pretend to be a simple soldier, but in reality, you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind. Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. Without fear!" Schmidt remarked to Steve which made Erika scoff.

There was only one god between all of them...and it wasn't him. "Then how come you're running?" Steve asked but he received no answer as the elevator doors closed in front of Schmidt and the doctor.

More explosions continued as Erika looked around for a way out which she did find one a few levels up. "Come on, let's go. Up," she instructed the men as she began making her way up the stairs.

Once on the right level, there was a thin gantry between the two platforms and with each explosion, it began to slowly collapse. Erika knew that she could make the jump between the two platforms, so she helped Bucky over the railing and onto the gantry. "One at a time," she informed them.

Bucky slowly made his way across the gantry, only looking down once at the fire below him. As he just made it halfway across the gantry, it began to collapse, forcing Bucky to move across faster. He barely made it to the other side when the gantry completed collapsed, forcing him to jump and grab the railings to stop himself from falling.

Bucky pulled himself over the railing and watched as Erika kicked the broken metal railing, creating a gap. "Gotta be a rope or something!" Bucky cried out to Steve who was looking around to find another way across.

"Just go! Get out of here!" Steve demanded to Bucky who snapped back; "No! Not without you!"

The two men were distracted by their conversation that they didn't notice Erika moving away from the edge. Bouncing lightly on her feet, she sprinted towards the edge and jumped, landing on the other side with ease. "Jump Steve!" she cried out to the man on the other side who hesitated at Erika's idea.

With more explosions occurring, Steve was left with no chance but to jump. He moved back as far as he could before breaking into a sprint and jumping. He wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for Erika reaching out and grabbing onto his hand. With ease, she pulled him onto the platform making Steve stare at her in amazement. "I will explain everything once we get out of here," Erika said in response to Steve's amazed filled eyes.

She led to the two men to the door she had discovered before and forced it open, revealing stairs. They quickly moved down the stairs and finally, made their way outside the facility before following the noises made by the escaped soldiers. They had succeeded at destroying one HYDRA facility...but Schmidt got away and Erika knew that they would see him again.


	9. Dancing

"**SENATOR** Brandt, I regret to report that Captain Steven G. Rogers went missing behind enemy lines on the third. Aerial reconnaissance has proven unfruitful. As a result, I must declare Captain Rogers killed in action. Period," Colonel Phillips was reciting what he wanted the letter to say to the Corporal writing it down.

Peggy, who had been waiting in the entrance of the tent, walked towards the Colonel who had turned around to face her. "The last surveillance flight is back. No sign of activity," Peggy informed him as she placed the surveillance photos down on the table.

"Go get a cup of coffee, Corporal," Phillips ordered to the Corporal sitting down the typewriter.

"Yes, sir," the man responded back before leaving the tent.

The Colonel placed the photos he was looking at back down on the table before walking around the table, looking outside the tent. "I can't touch Stark. He's rich and he's the Army's number one weapons contractor," he spoke before turning back to Peggy; "You are neither one."

"With respect, sir, I don't regret my actions. And I don't think Captain Rogers did either," Peggy's voice was firm; also unaffected by the Colonel's anger towards her.

"What makes you think I give a damn about your opinions. I took a chance with you, Agent Carter. And now America's golden boy and a lot of other good men are dead, cause you had a crush," Phillips snapped as he walked back over to Peggy.

"It wasn't that. I had faith," she argued back; almost insulted that the Colonel thought she did what she did because of her feelings.

"Well, I hope that's a big comfort to you when they shut this division down," Phillips remarked back before he heard the sounds of running and excited talking.

"What the hell's going on out there?" The Colonel asked before he followed where the other soldiers were running off to.

Peggy followed after him and they walked to the edge of the camp where a crowd had formed. Coming over the hill was Steve with Erika, Bucky and the other soldiers walking behind him. "Look who it is!" A soldier cried out before the crowd began clapping and cheering as the group walked through the aisle the crowd had formed.

Steve and Bucky made eye contact as they walked before Steve patted his friend on the back. The group continued through the camp until they reached Colonel Phillips. Steve saluted the Colonel before speaking; "Some of these men need medical attention. I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action."

"That won't be necessary," Phillips said as he looked around at the rescued soldiers.

The two men gave each other a small smile as Steve spoke; "Yes, sir."

The Colonel looked over at Erika who had everyone staring at her due to her still wearing her armour. He raised an eyebrow and Erika shook her head, signalling that she will explain everything later. Even though Erika could have changed out of her armour, she decided against it as now she didn't want to hide what she really was.

"Faith, huh?" Phillips remarked to Peggy when he turned around and noticed her standing there.

Peggy walked up to Steve and gave him a quick look over, checking if he was injured but remarking; "You're late."

"Couldn't call my ride," Steve remarked back as he held out a broken transmitter.

"Hey!" Bucky's voice was heard over the crowd, causing the others to stop talking and looked towards him. "Let's hear it for Captain America," Bucky said causing more cheers to ring throughout the crowd.

Many soldiers gave Steve a pat on the shoulder, but Steve didn't react as he and Peggy remained staring at each other. Erika and Bucky made eye contact from their positions on either side of each side of Steve and gave each other a knowing look as they looked at the couple.

* * *

A few days later, the SSR had moved back to their headquarters back in London. Steve was marking the HYDRA faculties on the map. "The fifth one was here in Poland, right near the Baltic. And the sixth one was... about here, 30, 40 miles west of the Maginot Line," once he had finished, an argent took the map away.

"I just got a quick look," Steve explained to Peggy who was perched on the table across from him.

"Well, nobody's perfect," Peggy remarked as she stood up straight and walked over to the large map in the middle of the room.

Steve's eyes followed Peggy before he placed the pen down on the table and followed her over to the map. "These are the weapon factories we know about. Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that isn't on this map," Steve explained to Colonel Phillips who was looking over the map.

"Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base," Phillips ordered as he walked away from the map with Peggy and Steve following him.

"What about us?" Peggy asked the Colonel who turned around to face her when he stopped.

"We are gonna set a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass. What do you say, Rogers? It's your map, you think you can wipe Hydra off of it?" Phillips asked while he looked through the file that was handed to him by his secretary, Private Lorraine.

"Yes, sir. I'll need a team" Steve explained which the Colonel remarked back; "We're already putting together the best men."

"With all due respect, sir. So am I," Steve responded which seemed to shock the Colonel, but however, he agreed to Steve choosing his own team.

* * *

"So, let's get this straight," Dum Dum said after Steve had explained his plan.

They sat in a bar with Gabe Jones, James Montgomery Falsworth, Jim Morita and Jacques Dernier all sitting at a table with drinks in their hands.

"We barely got out of there alive, and you want us to go back?" Gabe asked in disbelief.

Steve slightly tilted his head to the side and nodded before saying; "Pretty much."

"Sounds rather fun, actually," James said with a smile on his face.

Jim let out a belch before speaking; "I'm in."

Jacques began speaking in French which no one besides Gabe understood as he responded back to the Frenchman. Jacques let out a laugh before the two men shook hands. The others looked at Gabe for an answer who responded; "We're in."

Steve looked at Dum Dum as he was the only one who hadn't answered his request. "Hell, I'll always fight. But you got to do one thing for me.," Dum Dum said which made Steve ask; "What's that?"

Dum Dum drowned his drink before slamming in on the table and requested; "Open a tab."

They all laughed before Steve got up from his seat and walked over to the bar. "Well, that was easy," Jim remarked when he noticed that Steve didn't argue with opening a tab from them.

"Another round," Steve said to the barkeeper which made him remark; "Where are they putting all this stuff?"

Steve walked to another part of the bar where Bucky was sat at the counter. "See? I told you. They're all idiots," Bucky said as he took a sip of his drink.

Steve sat down beside him before asking; "How about you? You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?"

"Hell, no," Bucky responded which shocked Steve before he continued; "That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight. I'm following him."

The two men smiled at each other as the barkeeper gave Steve a drink. "But you're keeping the outfit, right?" Bucky asked with an almost cheeky grin on his face.

"You know what? It's kind of growing on me," Steve answered as he looked back at the poster of himself as Captain America with a sign saying 'Tour cancelled until further notice' plastered to it.

Suddenly the drunk singing stopped which made the two men looked to say why. The reason why was Peggy and Erika walking through the bar. Peggy wore a beautiful tight-fitting deep red dress that matched her lipstick which showcased her curvaceous figure. She also wore matching red heels. The v-neck showcased her cleavage and the belt accented her waist. Her dark hair was styled in her usual curls.

Erika herself wore a deep blue dress that was tight-fitting as well but flared out at her waist and stopped at her knees. The dress had short sleeves and a plunging neckline but was still modest as the neckline ended just above her chest. Her waist was emphasised by a black belt. Unlike Peggy, Erika wore black flats and very little makeup as she only had liner formed into a cat-eye. Her hair was left in her natural curls which bounced slightly every time she stepped.

The two women walked over to Steve and Bucky who had jumped to their feet. "Captain," Peggy greeted Steve as Erika gave them both a smile.

"Agent Carter. Agent Stark," Steve greeted back when the two women finally stood in front of him.

"Ma'ams," Bucky also greeted which Peggy nodded towards him before her attention turned back to Steve.

Steve and Peggy stood across from each other with Erika and Bucky standing together beside them. "Howard has some equipment for you to try. Tomorrow morning?" Peggy asked, her eyes remained on him.

"Sounds good," Steve answered with a slight nod.

As Peggy looked away to the rest of Steve's team who was drinking heavily and singing loudly, Steve's eyes looked at her up and down which both Bucky and Erika seemed to notice. "I see your top squad is prepping for duty," Peggy remarked, almost disappointed in how the men were acting before being sent out on duty.

"You don't like music?" Bucky asked; obviously trying to gain the beautiful woman's attention but her eyes remained on Steve.

"I do, actually. I might even, when this is all over, go dancing," Peggy said which made Bucky ask; "Then what are we waiting for?"

"The right partner," Peggy's word made a smile appear on Steve's face as she had repeated the words he had said to her and Erika in the car ride.

"0800, Captain," Peggy spoke again before she began walking away with Erika by her side.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be there," Steve responded back as he and Bucky walked to two women walking away.

"I'm invisible. I'm...I'm turning into you. It's like some horrible dream," Bucky spoke in disbelief which made Steve smirk slightly before patting his friend's shoulder.

"Don't take it so hard. Maybe she's got a friend," Steve remarked; feeling a victory of a woman noticing him instead of ignoring him.

Steve's words caused Bucky to look over his shoulder at Erika who was standing by the entrance talking to Peggy. It had been a few days since he had seen her, and she looked radiant...even more so than usual. Plucking up his courage, he began making his way over her as Peggy waved goodbye and left the bar. Once he had reached her, he held out his hand and asked; "Is Asgardian dancing different from ours?"

Erika gave him a bright smile before placing her hands in his. "I'm afraid I haven't experienced Midgard dancing before," she informed Bucky and he began leading her over to where other couples were dancing.

"Well, we must change that," he smirked at her as he placed her closer to him; placing one of his hands on her waist and gripping her hand in the other.

Her hand rested on his shoulder and they began dancing with Bucky leading. Erika noticed Midgard dancing was faster paced than Asgardian but was just as enjoyable. After a few moments of dancing together, Bucky dropped Erika into a dip causing her to laugh. He pulled her out of the dip with both of them laughing and a giant grin on their faces. One of Erika's arms was now wrapped around Bucky's shoulders as her other hand rested against his chest. His arms were now wrapped around her waist, keeping her close to his chest. The two continued dancing for many hours, not caring about the knowing looks they were received from their teammates who had become drunker and their singing grew louder. This moment was perfect to them.


	10. No More Hiding

**ERIKA** walked into the hanger where the rest of the team was waiting for her. Howard was walking beside her as he wanted to see the Asgardian off on her mission. Her armour stood out against the khaki uniforms of those passing by. "Wow!" Dum Dum remarked when he noticed Erika walking towards them.

Even though the team had seen her armour before, there was something about how she held herself that made her look like who she really is. A goddess.

"You're late," Steve remarked once she stood beside him.

"Blame him," she nodded towards Howard who grinned broadly.

"How's the uniform?" Erika asked as she admired Steve's new uniform and also the shield attached to his back.

"Feels good," Steve answered as he nodded.

Erika reached up and tapped on his shield before saying; "I'll teach you how to use it."

Steve gave her a smile; grateful for choosing her to be a part of his team. Erika felt someone moved to stand beside her before they whispered in her ear; "Do you ever get cold?"

She looked over to see Bucky standing beside her; his eyes moving up and down her figure. Whilst everyone was covered and protected against the elements, Erika's armour left her arms, upper chest and legs exposed. "Nope," was her answer before she looked back over to the other members of the team.

Bucky's eyes remained on the Asgardian as he didn't have the chance to really look at her when she wore her armour before…now he didn't want to take his eyes off her.

"What's with the get-up?" Dum Dum asked what everyone else was thinking.

Erika gave them a smile before speaking; "What I say cannot be repeated to everyone. I'm not from Earth. I was born on Asgard, another realm in the universe."

She let out a sigh before she continued; "My name is Erika, daughter of Odin and Frigg. Princess of Asgard and Goddess of War, Justice and Battle Strategies."

After she spoke her titles, Dum Dum cried out; "Bullshit!"

His outburst caused Erika to laugh as she had never received that type of reaction before. With the flick of her wrist and a flash of gold, a blue with gold lining cloak appeared around her shoulders and draped to her ankles. "Well, that's new," Jim remarked with wide eyes.

Erika shrugged her shoulders before she made her way to the jet that was taking them to their drop off zone. Bucky and Steve quickly followed her with Steve asking her questions; "So you're a god?"

"That's what Midgardians called us. Your Norse mythology is based on Asgardians and because they didn't understand what aliens were, they thought we were gods," she answered before she sat down in one of the seats in the jet.

"Wait, you talk like you were there," Steve remarked which made Erika smile.

"Steve, I'm over a thousand years old," Erika's words caused another outburst from Dum Dum; "I call bullshit again."

"She isn't lying. Her cells regenerate at a rate significantly faster than a normal human. Which allows her to remain to look younger for longer," Howard explained with amazement in his wide eyes.

Howard then placed a hand on Erika's shoulder and smiled down at her. "Good luck," was all he said before exiting the jet.

"Where are we going first?" Erika asked Steve as she turned to face him.

"France," Steve replied making Erika nod.

They had a long fight ahead of them. Erika used this time to sharpen her sword; sparks flying from the stone scraping against the steel of her sword. The world may not be ready for the Asgardian Princess to reveal herself to the world…but she couldn't hide any longer.


End file.
